The AS&E Web Style Guide is updated regularly to match current University Communications guidelines, web best practices, and users' needs. If you have tips or words that you think should be added here, please contact us at aseweb@rochester.edu.

The University as a whole has adopted a down casing style, which means that we always err on the side of lowercasing words. This is because uppercase letters force readers to take a slight pause, which in turn reduces usability. It also helps to ensure consistency across all our sites in terms of capitalization.

The University follows the Chicago Manual of Style for casing. Please refer to the links below for information regarding specific items:

When using the WCMS, use heading 3 for content headings and headings 4 for content subheadings. Page headings are automatically formatted for you.

If you are not using the WCMS, page headings should be 8+ your normal font, content headings should be 2+ your normal font, and subheadings should be your normal font size bolded. Do not use colors in headings.

External Links

External links (links to pages outside of your website) should only be in body content and not in the top or side navigation menus.

Target

We recommend leaving the link target as "None". Most users expect links to open in the same window so it can cause confusion when a new window opens and they can’t use the back button. Savvy users will know that they can control how the link opens if they want it to open in a new window. The only exception to this would be if the user needs to keep their place on the existing page.

"Click Here" Links

Using “click here” makes the documents or webpage you are linking to less useable to readers. Instead try to hyperlink the name of the documents or webpage, or hyperlink the whole phrase.

Instead of “you can apply to Rochester by clicking here” try:

Apply to Rochester online!

Instead of “to see a full description of services click here” try:

For more information about our services, check out the Complete Service Description (PDF).

Instead of “click here to register” try:

Register online through our secure system.

If a link is broken it should be updated or removed. It is never acceptable to use strikethrough to identify a broken link.

A

academic degrees - Degrees are always lowercased. (bachelor of arts degree, bachelor's degree)academic departments - Names of departments are capitalized only when using the full formal name, or when the department name is the proper name of a nationality, people, or race. Do not abbreviate to "dept." or use an ampersand to replace the word "and" (Department of Biology, biology department, Department of Art and Art History)advisor - use the "advisor" spelling when referring to an advisor at the Universityarts and sciences - In text, arts and sciences should be all lowercase. Sciences is plural in arts and sciences.Arts, Sciences and Engineering - Do not refer to Arts, Sciences & Engineering as “the College of Arts, Sciences & Engineering.” When abbreviating always use AS&E.

B

buildings - capitalize building names; can omit "Hall," "Building," etc. on second reference.

C

campuses - capitalize campus when using a specific campus name; lowercase otherwise. (River Campus, walking around campus)center - capitalize as part of a full official name; lowercase otherwise.College, the - This term should only be used on administrative pages or when referring to administrative offices. The word "the" before "the College" should always be lowercased unless "the" is the start of a sentence. courses - course names are capitalized. Course numbers are all caps with no periods.

E

email – lowercase, no hyphen.

F

faculty – the word faculty is always lowercase. Faculty titles are lowercase unless the title precedes a name.

L

library, libraries- capitalize as part of a full official name; lowercase otherwise. When talking about the River Campus Libraries, libraries should always be plural.

O

office - capitalize as part of a full official name; lowercase otherwise.

S

school - capitalize as part of a full official name or as an abbreviation for the official name; lowercase otherwise. semester - semesters are lowercase.staff – the word staff is always lowercase.student – the word student is always lowercase.

T

the - never capitalize the word the in running text unless it is part of the formal name or at the start of a sentence. (the Institute of Optics, the School of Arts and Sciences, the School)

U

University of Rochester - When "the" precedes "University of Rochester" or "University" in running text, it is not capitalized. "University," when referring to the University of Rochester, is always capitalized.upstate – one word, lowercase.

Answer your site visitors’ questions. For every topic on your site, think about what people come wanting to know about that topic. Then think about how to give them that information as clearly and concisely as possible.

You can encourage further use by including clear calls to action. For example:

Apply now

Contact our faculty

Schedule a visit

Subscribe to our newsletter

Follow us on Twitter

Think about the questions your site visitors have. Be sure to answer them, while using tone and style to engage your site visitors.

Also, keep in mind how they access your content, from desktop computers to mobile devices.

As a top-tier research institution, the University strives to maintain a voice that is smart and professional, yet engaging and creative. Your tone will vary slightly depending on the outlet or platform (e.g., administrative web pages versus Facebook posts).

Contact the web content coordinator and web writer to develop an appropriate voice for your department and/or social media platform.

Resources

Eye-tracking research shows that people scan a web page in an F-shaped pattern. This is the dominant reading pattern. That’s why we must front-load our content and use section headings and lists to help our readers find what they need quickly. Read more>>

Need help with your web content? Contact the web content coordinator and web writer with any questions. While we'll do our best to get back to you as quickly as possible, some requests require more time than others.